Hampton's top prosecutor declines inquiry into removal of teacher

Rudy Langford said he plans to take the case to circuit court and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Demonstrations in front of homes of superintendent and board members are also planned.

December 05, 2013|By Sarah J. Pawlowski, spawlowski@dailypress.com

HAMPTON — Commonwealth's Attorney Anton Bell is declining a request by a civil rights group to investigate the termination of a Hampton teacher.

Rudy Langford of the Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights, filed a request for an inquiry earlier this week because he thinks teacher Joyce Hobson was wrongfully fired. He claims race and class were factors in the School Board's decision.

Bell told the Daily Press Thursday that he has no authority in the matter because there is no evidence of a crime.

"Unless a crime is committed, then we are not involved," he said.

Langford told members of the Hampton School Board during a public comment period Wednesday he believes race was a factor in their vote last month when four white members voted to terminate, and the two black members voted "no."

"I am hopeful that we can work through this situation," Langford said to the board. "But I want to be explicitly clear to you, that this is not going away."

Langford told the Daily Press he plans to move forward with the case, including going to the circuit court and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Coalition members also plan to demonstrate and picket in front of the homes of Superintendent Linda Shifflette and the homes of board members who voted to terminate Hobson: Monica Smith, Jennifer Phillips, Joe Kilgore and Phyllis Henry, according to Langford.

Hampton City Schools spokeswoman Diana Gulotta declined to comment Thursday because the issue is a personnel matter. Board members Phyllis Henry, Monica Smith and William "Dave" Pearson also said they were not comfortable commenting.

School Board chair Martha Mugler said she could not comment because she did not sit in on the hearings and did not cast a vote.

"I felt I was not in a position to make an impartial decision," she said.

According to Langford, Hobson, a health and physical education teacher and coach, was employed by Hampton City Schools for 42 years. She started her position at Hampton High School in 1974. Langford told the Daily Press the termination resulted from an incident in September, when she made physical contact with a student to try to get his attention. Langford said it was an isolated incident, and he thinks it was unfair to terminate Hobson given her length of employment.

School Board member Linwood "Butch" Harper, who voted against the termination, told the Daily Press he disagrees the vote was racially motivated. It was more a cultural misunderstanding, he said.

Harper said Hobson has, over the years, gained respect from her students and football players by getting "down to their level." He said sometimes teachers need to be "firm with their words" so students know they are serious.

Based on his knowledge of Hobson's record, Harper said he doesn't think it was fair to fire her. He compared it to driving for 42 years and you've only had a couple of parking tickets — no major accidents — and now you get caught speeding.

While Harper acknowledged Hobson touched the student, he said he doesn't believe she intended to harm him. But he said he felt board members each had a different interpretation of her intent.

"Sometimes people hear the same thing and write a different story ... or have a different vote," he said.

Vice chairman of the board Joe Kilgore and member Jennifer Phillips said they think the decision to terminate Hobson was fair.

"Rudy can have his opinion," Kilgore said, "but I'm comfortable the process was followed ... appropriately."

Kilgore would not discuss specific details, but he said board members review evidence on a case-by-case basis. That could include documents or witness testimony, for example.

Sometimes they look at a teacher's past record.

"It depends on the situation ... there's not a 'yes, no' answer to that, unfortunately," he said.